Allelopathic effect of different concentration of water extract of Argemone mexicana L. on seed germination and seedling growth of Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench

Abstract

Laboratory experiments were conducted to evaluate the allelopathic effects of the water extract of Argemone mexicana L. on the seed germination, plumule length, radicle length, fresh and dry weight in Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor Moench). The allelopathic potentialities of leaf extracts of A.mexicana decreased the seed germination of Sorghum bicolor with raise of extracts concentration. The extracts also inhibited in plumule and radicle length of Sorghum bicolor seedlings with heighten of A.mexicana extracts concentration. The conclusion revealed that the inhibitory and stimulatory determine might be due to the presence of these allelochemicals such as alkaloids, glycosides, saponins, tannins and flavonoids etc., in the aqueous leaf extracts of A.mexicana from the present study. Hence, it could be concluded that the leaf aqueous extract contain water-soluble allelochemicals. Which could inhibit seed germination; reduce plumule and radicle length of Sorghum. It is recommended that Sorghum should not be planted near to Argemone mexicana due antagonistic effects on its development.